Long Island Challenge Recaps

The Long Island Challenge

Game 1: KELLENBERG VS FLORAL PARK

Kellenberg made a loud and convincing case for being in the Sweet 16 by hammering # 8 Floral Park 84-61. The Firebirds grabbed a 23 - 4 first quarter lead and never let up. It was a dominating performance. Kevin Cunningham skillfully ran the offense, scoring 20 points and handing out 12 assists, while forwards James Scahill and Kevin Milella dominated the paint and the boards. Scahill finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Milella had 18 points and 14 rebounds. If the past is any indicator though, Floral Park Coach Nick Simone will have his team back in the mix come January.

Game 2: CHAMINADE VS WALT WHITMAN

This was an old fashioned barn burner between two impressive teams, and after 3 overtimes, #7 Walt Whitman somehow managed to pull out a big 84-82 win over Chaminade with three of their best players sitting on the bench with five fouls. Whitman jumped out to a 7- 0 lead, and their skill and quickness was apparent from the opening tip. A fast break layup by CJ Humphries and a sweeping drive through the lane by Nick Barrotta, and Whitman was up 18-5 with 1:30 left in the 1st quarter. But the young Flyers team settled down in the second quarter, rallying back to make it 29-21 by halftime. Back to back jumpers by Chaminade's Patrick Wildes and Daniel Divietri and it was 34-30 early in the 3rd, but three straight steals by Hanif Malloy and Whitman was back up by 10. A John Orr drive down the lane cut it to 4 again and that's the way the 3rd quarter ended. A steal and dunk by Kyheem Green got the crowd on their feet to start the 4th quarter and Whitman moved out to a 48-40 lead, but Divietri knocked down a three from the corner and Chaminade was back in it to stay. Sean Wildes scored from underneath to make it 48- 46 and then a driving layup by Divietri tied it at 48. Whitman regained the lead on a fast break layup by Humphries, but Divietri drained a three pointer from straight on and Chaminade had their first lead of the game. Billy Joyce scored for Whitman, taking a beautiful pinpoint pass and slicing to the hoop to regain the lead, but Orr's free throw tied it with 3:17 remaining. A short jumper by Malloy and a free throw by Barrotta and Whitman was up by 3 with 1:06 left. Pat Wildes was fouled going up for a shot that rolled out with 22 seconds remaining. If it had fallen, he would have been at the line going for the tie. Instead, his two clutch free throws brought his team within one. The Flyers fouled immediately, sending Malloy to the line for two shots He made one out of the two for a two point lead, and Chaminade called time with 15 seconds on the clock. After the time out, Chaminade moved the ball crisply looking for a shot, but Whitman played outstanding defense and the clock ticked down rapidly towards zero as the Flyers searched for an open man. At the last moment, Divierti broke free underneath and tied it as the buzzer sounded, sending the game into overtime. In the first overtime, Chaminade struck first on two free throws by Divierti, but Malloy tied it up on a drive. Matthew Johnson hit a big three pointer putting Chaminade up by three, but a Humphries free throw and a spinning shot in the lane by Joyce tied it once again. The Flyers went back up by three with 1:14 left as Chris Dooley scored from underneath, was fouled, and completed the three point play. Joyce countered with a basket to make it 66-65, and after Chaminade missed two free throws, Malloy charged down the lane to give Whitman a one point lead with 18 seconds on the clock. A Chaminade miss, and Malloy was back at the line again with 7.4 seconds left, leaving the door open once again by making one out of two shots. The Flyer took advantage, moving the ball quickly up court, with Orr hitting an off balance jumper at the buzzer to send the game into double overtime. He was just over the three point line. Sean Wildes hit two free throws to give the Flyers a four point lead in the second OT, and things looked grim for the Wildcats with both Green and Malloy now on the bench with 5 fouls. Joyce took it to the hoop to make it a two point game, but Johnson responded for Chaminade, going coast to coast and the lead was back to four. Joyce again, this time from the line for two more, and it was 76-74 with 1:22 to go. A huge three pointer from long range by CJ Humphries as the shot clock ran down put Whitman up by one with 5.6 seconds remaining, but a blatant foul by the Wildcats sent Chaminade to the line for the win. The Wildcats dodged the bullet however as Chaminade made one out of the two free throws, sending the game to triple overtime. In the final OT, it was Whitman that surprisingly grabbed the lead with now three key players on the bench with five fouls. Barrotta hit two free throws and Joyce one of two to put the Wildcats up by three, but Diviertri tied it with a three with 20 seconds on the clock. Joyce made it 84- 82 on a drive, and then a crucial Chaminade turnover gave Whitman the ball up by two with 5.6 seconds remaining. Whitman had trouble inbounding the ball and Chaminade got the steal, but no miracle finish this time as the final shot bounded away. Final score 84-82 Whitman in triple overtime! A heck of a game!

Game 3: ST. ANTHONY'S VS HILLS WEST

#16 Hills West picked up one of their biggest wins ever, pulling away from 9th ranked St. Anthony's for a very big 61-49 win. The electricity was already in the air from the triple OT game that proceeded it, and it carried over to this much anticipated game between next door neighbors. It was a tight game to start, with Hills West taking a one point lead at the end of the 1st quarter. A Shahab Syed drive and foul shot put St. Anthony's up 16-12 early in the second period, and a fade away jumper by Doug Poetzsch put the Friars up 20-13, but a Tobias Harris putback cut it to 22-21 with 2:14 left in the half, and back to back free throws by Steven Rollino gave West a 23-22 lead. A baseline jumper by Rexton Gordon and a layup by Jon Francois and St. Anthony's was back on top 26-23, but West's John Conneely hit two free throws to draw the Colts within one, and then Harris was one of two from the line and we were tied at 26 all going into the locker room. Rollino opened the 3rd quarter with a three pointer, and Alex Arrichio scored from the lane and it was 31-26 Hills West. Gordon followed with a jumper, and it was 33-26, but St. Anthony's rallied back. Syed's jump hook in the lane and steal and layup tied it at 33, and then a baseline drive by Oliver Laurent put the Friars up two with 2:27 remaining in the 3rd quarter. They led 39-33 when Harris hit a three pointer to cut the lead in half, and then a traditional three point play by Arruchio tied it at 39. Another three pointer by Harris, and West had a 49 - 40 lead. Francois cut the lead to six with a basket and free throw, but Gordon answered with a pull up jumper for an eight point lead. Syed drained two technical foul shots to make it 51- 45 with 5:30 remaining. Two foul shots by Harris made it 53-45, but Gordon scored on the break and the Friars trailed by six with 3:20 left. After back to back turnovers and two missed St. Anthony's free throws, Rollino cut down the lane and scored for West, giving them an 8 point lead with 2:20 to go in the game. Francoise scored on a hook shot, but Harris answered with two foul shots in the one and one and then stole the ball and scored to give Hills a commanding ten point lead. Harris finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds, and Conneely with 16 points and 8 assists. Syed finished with 15 points for the Friars, and Francois with 12.

Game 4: HOLY TRINITY VS BALDWIN

#15 Baldwin rolled over #11 Holy Trinity 76 - 62. The Titans were stunned by the loss of star John Snead to an injury earlier in the week, and it showed. Not to take anything away from Baldwin. They were very impressive, taking a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter after Holy Trinity had dug themselves out of hole and gone ahead 18-17 on a three pointer by Pat Fanning. Matt Brown's three pointer made it 28-20 Baldwin, but the Titans hung tough and cut the margin to six at the half. The 3rd quarter proved to be the decisive one. Back to back three pointers by Anthony Lee made it 46-34 Baldwin, and Holy Trinity was clearly in trouble. Then a putback by Caleb Norris and it was 55-40 Baldwin at the end of three and it never got any closer. Baldwin's lead was as large as 20. Nick Thomas finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds for Baldwin, while Chris Manning had 11 points, seven assists, and six steals. Fanning led Holy Trinity led with 20.

Game 5: ST. MARY'S VS JERICHO

Game five, which most people considered to be the marquee match-up of the day, was even at the half, but #2 Jericho picked it up a notch and outplayed #12 St. Mary's in the 2nd half to earn themselves a huge 63-49 win. Both teams seemed a little tight to start, feeling each other out and looking a little hesitant running their plays. Credit the defense on both sides. It was 13-11 Jericho after one and tied 25 all at the half. Then Jericho went on an 8-0 run in the third and closed out the quarter with a 47-38 lead. It was 53-38 with 5:27 to go on a Matt Cajuste basket from underneath, and St. Mary's never seriously challenged after that. They cut it to 8 at one point , but an emphatic Matt Cajuste dunk ended the rally. The Jayhawks did an excellent job keeping Byron Freeman out of the offense, and nobody else was able to step up and lead St. Mary's back into it. Before the game, Jericho had their doubters, but this win will add a fresh group of believers to their bandwagon. Josh Whitsell led the Jayhawks with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Matt Cajuste finished with 12 points. Jerrel Lawrence led St. Mary's with 15.

Game 6: ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST VS LINDENHURST

#13 St. John The Baptist out fought # 5 Lindenhurst to take Game 6. Again, two impressive teams slugging it out, with SJB coming out on top by 3. A three pointer by Lindenhurst's Chris Johnson gave them an early 12-8 lead, but a jumper by Greg Kelm and a three pointer by Matt Pryzby put SJB up 12-11 with 2:10 left in the first quarter. Linenhurst took the lead again on a three by Joe Chismar, and then another three by Andrew Morales and they were up 18-13 at the end of the quarter. A traditional three point play by Jonathan Brown put the Cougars back on top 20-19 with five minutes to go in the half, but a three by Morales and a putback by Brian Cervantes at the two minute mark and it was 28-21 Lindenhurst. James Doran responded for SJB with a drive, but two free throws by Cervantes and it was 30-23 Bulldogs at the half. SJB came on strong in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Lindenhurt 11-1 to take a three point lead, but Chris Johnson hit a clutch three pointer for the Bulldogs to tie it at 34. Justin Plata put the Cougars back on top with a jumper, and the quarter ended with SJB holding a two point lead. A fast break layup by Ted Scharfenberg to start the 4th quarter and SJB was up by four, but Chismar's three made it 40- 39. Elbaum's traditional three point play and the lead was back to four, and it was still St. John's by one after Johnson scored on a spinner in the lane with 3:20 remaining, but Johnson followed it with a three and Lindenhurst had a two point lead. Elbaun answered back, going coast to coast for two, and then a foul shot put them up by one with less than two minutes to go. Elbaum stole the ball and fed Pryzby for a three point lead, and then after back to back turnovers, Lindenhurst had the ball with 5 seconds to go, but couldn't convert . SJB had a very balanced attack, with Brown taking scoring honors with 11, and Elbaum and Kelm finished with 8 each. Chris Johnson led Lindenhurst with 23.

Game 7: ST. DOMINIC VS AMITYVILLE

In the nightcap, #3 St. Dominic regrouped and fought off Amityville 61-52. Although they were handicapped with both of their big men out with injuries, the Bayhawks still put a talented, if undersized unit out on the floor, and they did the job against the dangerous Warriors. St. Doms came out with guns blazing, jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead, but as the 2nd quarter wound down, Amityville's Steve Medard muscled up a shot to cut it to 21-17 St. Dom's with 3:30 left in the half, and then a three pointer by freshman Darien Croft made it a two point game with 2:30 to go. Dan Kenny answered back with a three and it was 25-20 St. Dom's, and the Bayhawks took a six point lead into the locker room. A four point play by Steve Schoolfield made it 36-35 Amityville with 3:50 to go in the 3rd quarter, and then Croft hit a three to make it 39-35 Amityville with 3:25 left. As the hushed home crowd looked on anxiously, Joe Douglas turned the tide for St. Dominic with a timely hoop to cut the Amityville lead to two, and then a Brian Katz drive with time with running down in the 3rd quarter put the Bayhawks up 42-39. Another Katz drive to start the 4th made it 44-39, and Kenny hit a three from the left corner at the 5:10 mark and St. Doms was suddenly up by 10. A three by Croft and a hoop by Medard cut the St. Dom's lead to six with 1:28 to go, but St. Dom's was in the one and one, and Katz hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to ice the win. Brian Katz finished with 18 points, and PJ Walters with 15 for St. Dominic, while Croft finished with 15 for Amityville and Medard 13.